A Tangled Web
by softballgirl05
Summary: The students and teachers of the forensics department at WLVU weave tangled webs. This is the story of their secrets and thier struggles. Many pairings. Currently Snickers. Please read and review!
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey everyone! I came up with this idea for a story about the whole gang in college. I know the ages and timeline aren't exactly perfect but I think it's cool and I am having so much fun writing it. I am now back in my groove and out of my like two month long writer's block. Don't give up after this super short prologue, it's just to set the scene. Please review if you like it. For once I actually have the chapters written in advance, so I can post whenever I want. Tell me what you think, I desperatly want to know! *Leggo my Greggo* -Softballgirl05-**

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**Prologue**

Teacher's assistant Catherine Willows is in love with Professor Gil Grissom who is having a secret relationship with his student Sara Sidle who just broke up with her quarterback boyfriend Nick Stokes whose partner in crime is Warrick Brown who is roommates with science geek Greg Sanders who has a crush on the new girl Riley Adams who grew up down the street from Wendy Simms who is secretly in love with her lab partner David Hodges.

_On the campus of WLVU, the kids majoring in forensics weave tangled webs. Teachers love students and students love teachers. Relationships are made and broken in the blink of an eye. They hate each other, they love each other, they protect each other. This is the story of our favorite CSI's in an alternate universe where things are constantly changing and people are constantly trying to stay ahead of the curve balls thrown at them. This is the story of lovers, of friends, of back-stabbings, of longing, of hurt feelings, and of the secrets we keep to ourselves, buried deep enough that no one else can find them. This is the story of a tangled web._


	2. Catherine Willows and Gil Grissom

Chapter 1 - _Teacher's assistant Catherine Willows is in love with Professor Gil Grissom_

The only sound Catherine could hear was the click-clack of her high heels and her heart pounding in her chest. When Grissom asked her to meet him in his office, she wasn't sure what he was going to say. She wasn't sure what _she_ was going to say. What she wanted to tell him was that she was madly in love with him, but that would scare him off. Grissom was the kind of man who was deathly afraid of commitment. She needed to wait a while – make sure he felt the same way about her as she did about him. Besides, having a relationship with the teacher she was assisting was probably not the best idea. It could get her into trouble if anyone found out. Then again, Catherine thought to herself with a smirk, this wouldn't be the riskiest relationship she had ever had, not by a long shot. When she neared his office, she straightened her skirt, smoothed her hair and knocked on his heavy oak door.

"Come in." Came the muffled reply from inside.

Catherine took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The creepiness of his office never ceased to startle her. Between the bugs, the pint of blood on the desk and the irradiated fetal pig, she wasn't sure if wanted to ever see the inside of his home.

Grissom followed her gaze around the room and smirked. "Admiring the décor again?"

She turned to face him. "Just thinking that I never want to see the inside of your house."

He smiled again. "I assure you, my house is more normal than my office – for the most part."

Catherine laughed and took a seat in the chair in front of his desk, crossing her legs. "You put a memo in my mailbox, said you wanted to see me?"

Grissom took his glasses off his face and looked at her. "Yes, I have something to tell you."

Her heart sped up. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he saw more than he let on. "About what?" Catherine tried to keep her voice casual, suppressing the curiosity inside of her.

He paused then smiled. "I got a call from one of my friends at the crime lab, being forensics professor, I have quite a few of them." He smiled again. "He told me he was looking for a new level one hire and I recommended you."

A real CSI. How long had she wanted this, waited for this, hoped for this? Catherine was thrilled. But at the same time, a small part of her didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay here, at the university, teaching with Grissom. She would miss seeing him everyday, exchanging witty remarks and joking around. Catherine knew that when she took this job, Grissom would become a miniscule part of her life, someone she would only run into at the grocery store and get a Christmas card from once a year.

"Do you want the job?" Grissom asked, worried by her lack of response.

Catherine shook herself out of her daydream. "Yes, yes of course I want the job." She flashed him a smile just to assure him of how much she appreciated his recommendation.

"I have to say I will miss working with you." He told her quietly. "You were one of the best minds I've ever seen walk through that door." Grissom nodded at the door to his office.

She felt her heart skip a beat and she wanted to tell him everything but instead she got up and hugged him. "Thank you… for everything."

He said nothing but she was pretty sure he held her a little longer than necessary.


	3. Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle

**AN: I'm begging you! Please review and tell me if you love it or hate it!**

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Chapter 2 - _Professor Gil Grissom is having a secret relationship with his student Sara Sidle_

He watched the hands on the clock of the diner tick by slowly. Where was she? He had told her to come later than usual – he had some news for his teacher's assistant – but he was sure she had understood. Grissom played with the empty sugar packet he had used for his coffee. The bell over the door tinkled and he looked up to see her walking in.

"Sorry I'm late." She said as she slid into the seat across from him. "I was studying at the library and lost track of time." Sara flashed a smile at him that lit up the dingy room.

"If you have tests to study for, then you shouldn't be here…" Grissom began but she shook her head.

"No, this is where I need to be." She said firmly meeting his gaze.

He couldn't help but smile. He knew it was wrong. It could get him fired if anyone ever found out but he couldn't stop it. There was something about her that was irresistible. Grissom was sure if they hadn't met in his class, they would have met somewhere else, some other time. He was a man of science and reason, but this was fate. They were meant to be together. Two halves of a whole. Yin and Yang. What ever it was, they were it. There was a part of him that kind of like the secret relationship, dangerous as it was.

"Didn't you?" Sara's question broke his train of thought.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" He asked.

She smirked. "Daydreaming again? I asked if you liked that article in the Journal, you know the one about the blood spatter patterns?"

He nodded. "Yes, I thought it was really well written."

Sara called the waitress over and ordered her cup of coffee.

Grissom gazed out the window, watching the people pass by on the street. "I wish I could take you somewhere nicer." He murmured so only she could hear.

Sara gave a tired sigh and looked across the table at him. "I told you, here's best. I doubt anyone from school would show up around this place, so it's safest."

"If you dated someone your own age you wouldn't have to sneak around and meet in secret at dumpy diners." Grissom felt guilty, he really did. He knew he was keeping her from having a normal social life but he couldn't help himself. The thought of not being with her was too hard to bear.

"I love you and I want to be with you. And if it takes meeting at dumpy diners at one in the morning so we aren't seen together, then that's what I'll do." She reached for his hand across the table and enclosed it in her smaller one. "College won't last forever. In two years I won't be your student anymore and we will be able to see each other whenever we want."

Grissom smiled at her. "As long as you're sure you can handle… everything."

She nodded and let go of his hand to take a sip of her coffee. Sara spit it back out into the cup.

He laughed so loudly that the old lady on the other side of the diner glared at him. "You try it every time and it never gets any better."

Sara joined in his laughter. "What do you say we blow this popsicle stand and walk around the Strip?"

He hesitated. There were people there, people that could recognize them. Sara squeezed his hand in encouragement. "Tonight we'll just be one of the hundreds of couples out walking. We'll blend in, don't worry."

Grissom nodded and they got up. He led her outside into the cool night air. She kissed him softly on the lips and he smiled. He forgot the secret. He forgot his carefully created rules so his job wouldn't be put in danger. Grissom knew that it was risky but some risks, some risks that were as amazing as Sara Sidle, were worth taking.


	4. Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes

Chapter 3 – _Sara Sidle just broke up with her quarterback boyfriend Nick Stokes_

Sara rubbed her eyes tiredly. The words on the page swam in front of her so she shut the text book. Screw calculus, it could wait until tomorrow. The phone on the table vibrated and flashed that she had one new message. Sara opened it.

_You want to go out tonight? I'm sorry about earlier. – Nick_

She snapped the phone shut in frustration. What couldn't he understand about no? They broke up nearly two months ago, yet not a day went by without a text from him. Sara thought she had made herself perfectly clear when she told him what she really thought about him but apparently not. She was so sick of being his new toy to show off. Never had she once had an actual intelligent conversation with the guy. He was your average football jock. Nick thought the world freakin' revolved around him all because he had led the WLVU football team to state championships two years in a row. He seemed to forget that a football team was made up of more than just one player. Sara was tired of him ignoring her and flirting with every other girl on campus.

A knock on her dorm door startled her. Sara glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly 12:30, and she was supposed to meet Grissom in a half hour. She figured it was just one of her roommate's friends looking for her though, so she opened the door.

"Hi…"

The door slammed shut.

"Wait, Sara. Come on. Please open the door up. I just want to talk to you." Nick called from the other side.

Sara took four deep, controlled breathes and then yelled back that he should leave before she smacks him so hard, the handprint wouldn't disappear for two weeks.

"Please, I just want to talk." He pleaded. Dang, why did everything that came out of his mouth have to sound so smooth in that Texas accent?

She reluctantly opened the door a fraction of an inch. "What do you want?" Sara asked, eyeing him suspiciously. He wasn't dressed for a party, so he wasn't trying to drag her along anywhere like he used to do when they were together.

"To talk." He said, innocently pleading with his brown eyes.

"Fine." Sara growled. And, against her better judgment, she let him in. "You have exactly five minutes before I kick your butt out of my dorm." She pointed at the clock.

"Listen to me, please Sara. I know I was a jerk before. It wasn't fair to you. You were so good to me and I never returned the favor." Nick paused to gauge her reaction. He was met by a cold, stony glare. "I apologize and I came back to tell you thank I can't forget about you. I miss you."

Sara stopped her nasty gaze that she had been trying to penetrate him with. He sounded pathetic. She almost felt sorry for him. He wasn't a bad guy, she knew that. Nick Stokes could be a really great boyfriend if he got over his self obsession. In fact, if she wasn't seeing Grissom now, she might have tried to work things out between them. But now, things were just too complicated.

"I appreciate your apology." Sara said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "But Nick, I've moved on and I think you should too."

His face, which had looked hopeful when she started being nice to him again, fell. "I don't want to move on. I love you Sara!"

She closed her eyes, whishing he would just leave. "Nick, I think you're a great guy but maybe there's too much… stuff between us. I don't think it will work." She said, watching the pain in his eyes grow with every word.

"It can, if you want it to." He whispered, leaning in. "Just say no if you want me to stop."

Sara was frozen and didn't say anything when his warm lips met hers. She didn't return his kiss, but she didn't stop him either. Suddenly she realized exactly what was happening.

"No!" She pushed him away from her. "I don't want this Nick. You need to leave. Like right now."

He looked hurt but didn't say anything as he walked out the door.

Sara looked at the clock. She was late for her date with Grissom. She tried to get ready but ended up sitting on her bed instead. She loved Grissom. She was risking everything for him. But even as she walked into the diner and saw Grissom's face light up as she entered, she could feel Nick's familiar kiss lingering on her lips.


End file.
